Hero
by Christina TM
Summary: Melanie Pike had heard all manner of words to describe her son.


DISCLAIMER: Don't own.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I wrote this to help me get through a terminal case of writer's block on another story I'm working on. It broke the block and turned out to be a not half bad little fic in its own right. So I posted it.

The Sarah and Robert referred to herein are Robert and Sarah April, the first Captain and CMO of _Enterprise _according to Memory Alpha. I invented their relation to Pike for my story "The Good Shepherd" and kind of fell in love with it.

HERO

By Christina TM

Melanie Pike had heard all manner of words to describe her son.

Chris' kindergarten teacher called him "introverted." _"It's not that he doesn't have friends," _the well-intentioned blond woman had explained with teacherly concern. _"It's that he has only one or two friends even though he knows a lot of kids." _Melanie hadn't seen the problem with that. Her husband was much the same way, and Melanie knew there was no making either one of them into something he wasn't.

Chris' father called him "efficient." If there was messiness or clutter, Chris was there to clean it up. Be it a desk or a schedule or a family event. Richard had speculated that his son might grow up to be an engineer like him. But Chris was never happy working on machines. He preferred to work on people.

Melanie's daughter called her brother "bossy." Even with eight years between them, Chris had no problem telling his big sister what to do. When Chris announced he wanted to join Starfleet, Sarah had responded with a quick, "I'm not surprised. It'll give you the most opportunity to boss people around."

Sarah's husband called Chris "perceptive." There was no fooling him, Robert had said one day. If Chris put his stamp of approval on someone, chances were that someone was worthy. If he said a person was scum, the person usually proved himself scum within a week. That perception applied to situations as well as people. Chris always understood what was going on. He didn't necessarily let on, but he understood.

The baseball coach at Mojave High School called Chris "a leader." Melanie suspected this was another side of the "bossy" coin. _"The kids follow him, Mrs. Pike. He just has it. It's something you can't teach." _And it was the truth. When Chris spoke to the team, they listened.

Chris' first roommate at Starfleet Academy had called him "dedicated." Nothing could get him off-track, to the point that the roommate had dared Chris to study for a final exam in a nightclub. Not one to turn down a challenge, Chris did it. And got an A on the final, of course.

Starfleet called Chris "loyal." He didn't abandon his friends. Once Christopher Pike was your friend, he was your friend for good. If the whole world said you were wrong and Chris thought you were right, he'd stand next to you while the firing squad took aim.

His first CO had called Chris "steady." Nothing ruffled him or bothered him. Whether the helm was perfectly calm or there was an all-out attack on the ship, Chris didn't get flustered. His unflagging stability influenced everyone around him, a calm in the storm.

Chris' dissertation advisor had called him "sharp." He had a nimble mind, a keen intellect. Chris saw things others missed. Where anyone else would see an end, he saw a new beginning. It was rare, the advisor said. Too rare.

Dr. McCoy called Chris "resilient." He had no business recovering from whatever that slug had put in his brain. McCoy didn't know how Chris had done it. As for the paralysis, it broke Melanie's heart to think of her baby boy stuck in a wheelchair. But better a wheelchair than a casket.

And now Starfleet was calling Chris "admiral." He'd run from that extra stripe for about five years, saying he was a captain and not a desk jockey. It had taken a wheelchair to make Chris sit still long enough to pin the star on his shoulder boards.

"Mrs. Pike?" The fair-haired boy in Academy reds asked, stepping up to her seat with the air of someone looking to gain attention without being intrusive.

"Yes?" Melanie asked.

The cadet crouched down next to her seat. "I'm Jim Kirk," he introduced himself.

"Oh!" Melanie felt recognition dawn in her mind. "Yes. Chris has…said a lot about you." It was the understatement of the year. Nearly every time Melanie and Richard talked to their younger child, he mentioned something about that Cadet Kirk he'd sponsored.

Kirk gave her a winning smile. _So Chris wasn't exaggerating about the charm. _ "Well, my normal response would be 'Don't believe a word of it,' but your son's a reputable source. So it's probably all true."

Melanie smiled at the young man. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Kirk looked up and smiled. "I wanted to say, Mrs. Pike—"

"Please, dear," Melanie interrupted. "I'm Melanie." Sixty-plus years and "Mrs. Pike" still sounded like Richard's mother.

"Melanie," Kirk corrected after a brief pause. "I just wanted to tell you…your son has been the closest thing to a father I ever knew, ma'am. He was the first person who believed I could be something other than a delinquent kid on the streets of Iowa. He's been a real hero to me, and it's been an honor knowing him. I want you to know that."

Melanie tilted her head at Kirk. "You're a hero to him too, did you know that?"

Kirk's eyes widened. "Ma'am?"

Melanie chuckled at the cadet's surprise. "You saved his life, didn't you?"

"Well," Kirk looked a little uncomfortable. "I and Cmdr. Spock got him out of Nero's hands. Dr. McCoy did all the hard work of keeping him alive after that."

"Stop being modest, cadet," Melanie admonished playfully. "My son is a reputable source, so this is probably all true, isn't it?"

Kirk dipped his head, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

"Jim!" A voice called from above them.

Kirk looked up. "I have to go." He stood. "It was nice to meet you, Mrs.—Melanie."

Melanie nodded her head as Kirk left.

"Melanie! There you are." Richard made his way through the crowd. "Come on. Chris is looking for you. Who was that kid you were talking to?"

Melanie took her husband's hand. "That was Jim Kirk."

"The rake Chris is always talking about?" Richard tucked into a row of seats to avoid a couple of officers walking up the stairs.

"I'd hardly describe the young man I just met as a 'rake,'" Melanie said as the officers passed and she followed Richard down the stairs.

"Chris! I found her," Richard announced to the assembled clan at the bottom of the stairs.

A bright smile lit Chris' weathered features. "Hey, Mom. Where were you?"

Melanie knelt down in front of the wheelchair and wrapped her arms around her son's shoulders. "Just got caught up in a conversation," she glided around the question. She pulled back a little and kissed Chris' cheek. "Chris, did I ever tell you you're my hero?"

She could almost hear Chris roll his eyes. "Only twice in the last two hours, Mom."

"Well, that's only because it's true." Melanie pulled him back into her arms.

"Thanks," Chris murmured into his mother's hair.

Melanie Pike called her son her hero.


End file.
